interferon

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. Any of a group of glycoproteins that are produced by different cell types in response to various stimuli, such as exposure to a virus, bacterium, parasite, or other antigen, and that prevent viral replication in newly infected cells and, in some cases, modulate specific cellular functions.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells

Examples

A new study has shown that tweaking a certain group of multipotent stem cells-mesenchymal stem cells-with a hormone called interferon (IFN) in our bodies, might stop osteoporosis and promote bone growth.

In experiments on mice, researchers showed for the first time that a protein called interferon-gamma IFN-gamma plays a key role in the spread of melanoma, a notoriously aggressive form of cancer resistant to standard chemotherapy.

Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who take the popular drug, known as interferon beta, overall effectiveness is only fair, with about half of all patients experiencing an average one-third reduction in recurrences, according to researchers at Stanford University.